Belated Paris trip report, May 16-24 2014 part 2: the actual trip
Aug 16th, 2014, 08:43 AM
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Belated Paris trip report, May 16-24 2014 part 2: the actual trip
Warning: I am writing this already delayed trip report with another serious handicap. Since writing the introduction, my journal has mysteriously disappeared. The current suspects are our two VERY lively young male Abyssinian cats, Dante and Giotto. But at any rate...
Day 2. We had an early Saturday morning breakfast at our hotel, then walked 20 minutes to the Rodin museum, perhaps my favorite in Paris. Our museum passes made for an easy entry and arriving near opening time meant that it was not yet crowded. (Note: we got the 6 day museum pass at the airport. They were a blessing, saved us both money and time. Our only caution is that there were a couple of days when we did too much (for us), because it was so easy and "free"). As always, it was lovely. My husband took some wonderful photographs of hands, I stopped, as always, to look at the detail of the "Gates of Hell" and we agreed to come back again to look at the exhibits which were inside.
As is our custom, we walked back to our hotel room for a short rest and then took a taxi to the lovely Canal St Martin area, which we had never seen before. After a short stroll, we had lunch at Philou, a charming, well-priced bistro near the canal recommended by a friend who has lived in Paris for 20 years. The food and service were excellent, atmosphere warmly traditional, including the menu of the day, written in on chalkboard. Two "plats" were 27 euro,
three were 34 euro. We walked some more around the Canal St Martin, went back to the hotel to nap, then I took a lovely walk alone through the Luxembourg gardens, something I would do almost daily. Supper was yoghurt, fruit and bread in the hotel dining room (incredibly kind on their part); we had shopped at a nearby Monoprix. We decided to end the day with a walk by the Seine, arriving near the Eiffel tower at sunset, staying to watch its lights first sparkle then turn a beautiful off-white lace. We caught a taxi back to Hotel Bonaparte and called it a night.
Day 2. We had an early Saturday morning breakfast at our hotel, then walked 20 minutes to the Rodin museum, perhaps my favorite in Paris. Our museum passes made for an easy entry and arriving near opening time meant that it was not yet crowded. (Note: we got the 6 day museum pass at the airport. They were a blessing, saved us both money and time. Our only caution is that there were a couple of days when we did too much (for us), because it was so easy and "free"). As always, it was lovely. My husband took some wonderful photographs of hands, I stopped, as always, to look at the detail of the "Gates of Hell" and we agreed to come back again to look at the exhibits which were inside.
As is our custom, we walked back to our hotel room for a short rest and then took a taxi to the lovely Canal St Martin area, which we had never seen before. After a short stroll, we had lunch at Philou, a charming, well-priced bistro near the canal recommended by a friend who has lived in Paris for 20 years. The food and service were excellent, atmosphere warmly traditional, including the menu of the day, written in on chalkboard. Two "plats" were 27 euro,
three were 34 euro. We walked some more around the Canal St Martin, went back to the hotel to nap, then I took a lovely walk alone through the Luxembourg gardens, something I would do almost daily. Supper was yoghurt, fruit and bread in the hotel dining room (incredibly kind on their part); we had shopped at a nearby Monoprix. We decided to end the day with a walk by the Seine, arriving near the Eiffel tower at sunset, staying to watch its lights first sparkle then turn a beautiful off-white lace. We caught a taxi back to Hotel Bonaparte and called it a night.
Aug 16th, 2014, 08:52 AM
#2
It doesn't matter how late your trip report is as I love reading about Paris at any time.
We travel like you do----walk around all day, go back to the room at 4-5ish and have a nap until 8pm or so and then go out again, mostly for dinner though.
Your walk through Lux. Gardens and then along the Seine make me long to be there RIGHT NOW.
BTW, Max & Chloe are usually the suspects at our house (a Russian Blue & a Siamese.)
Aug 16th, 2014, 12:51 PM
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ParisAmsterdam: Italian husband, Mussolini invaded Ethiopia, thus we consider them colonized. This generation of TWO males from same litter could accurately state they have never been conquered.
Moving on to Day 3:
Today we spent in the Marais, walking from our hotel in the 6th to the spectacularly beautiful and symmetrical Place des Voges, where we enjoyed delicious cafe` creme and pain au chocolate at Ma Bourgogne, a place a friend and I had made a daily stop on another trip to Paris. Eating outside and watching children and grownups play in the park is a leisurely pleasure, readying us for a walk through the Marais, stopping at the Musee Carnavelet before proceeding on to the Shoah memorial (we had visited the Deportation Memorial in the Isle-de-la-Citie on our previous trip to Paris). Although difficult to experience, this museum is not to be missed. We were touched to see the tribute to Righteous Gentiles (hoping that we would have been them) and very surprised and pleased to see a series of simple but very moving sculptures, similar to ones we had seen many times on the small memorial piazza to the Haulocaust which is in Venice. Similar turned out to be identical. Artist Arbit Blata had made 4 copies of these reliefs: one in Venice,
one in Paris, one in New York, one in Eastern Europe. They are simple but have grabbed my heart. I visit them each time I am in Venice and hope to find them in New York in October.
Lunch was at the very beautiful Nicholas Flanel (also recommended by our friend N). Prices moderate, food good but not as memorable in retrospect as Le Pistou. We then headed back to our hotel by way of the Pompidou Centre. This, in retrospect, was a mistake. Three museums in a day are too much for us unless it is a once in a lifetime experience. It was crowded even with the museum pass to help with entrance, we were tired and overstimulated and left after a briefly perusing its contents. Quiet yoghurt supper in hotel and reading in the room. I have to say, although I must limit my alcohol intake for medical reasons, the description of Kathie's and Cheryl's champagne and chocolate sounds much more appealing!
Moving on to Day 3:
Today we spent in the Marais, walking from our hotel in the 6th to the spectacularly beautiful and symmetrical Place des Voges, where we enjoyed delicious cafe` creme and pain au chocolate at Ma Bourgogne, a place a friend and I had made a daily stop on another trip to Paris. Eating outside and watching children and grownups play in the park is a leisurely pleasure, readying us for a walk through the Marais, stopping at the Musee Carnavelet before proceeding on to the Shoah memorial (we had visited the Deportation Memorial in the Isle-de-la-Citie on our previous trip to Paris). Although difficult to experience, this museum is not to be missed. We were touched to see the tribute to Righteous Gentiles (hoping that we would have been them) and very surprised and pleased to see a series of simple but very moving sculptures, similar to ones we had seen many times on the small memorial piazza to the Haulocaust which is in Venice. Similar turned out to be identical. Artist Arbit Blata had made 4 copies of these reliefs: one in Venice,
one in Paris, one in New York, one in Eastern Europe. They are simple but have grabbed my heart. I visit them each time I am in Venice and hope to find them in New York in October.
Lunch was at the very beautiful Nicholas Flanel (also recommended by our friend N). Prices moderate, food good but not as memorable in retrospect as Le Pistou. We then headed back to our hotel by way of the Pompidou Centre. This, in retrospect, was a mistake. Three museums in a day are too much for us unless it is a once in a lifetime experience. It was crowded even with the museum pass to help with entrance, we were tired and overstimulated and left after a briefly perusing its contents. Quiet yoghurt supper in hotel and reading in the room. I have to say, although I must limit my alcohol intake for medical reasons, the description of Kathie's and Cheryl's champagne and chocolate sounds much more appealing!
Aug 16th, 2014, 08:02 PM
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OK, here is my second go at day 3, hopefully with no computer glitches. We took a short walk through Luxembourg Gardens again on our way to a long walk---to the Place de Concorde with a stop at the Musee Orangerie and its wonderful Monets, then walked up the Champs Elysee, which was a mix of lovely and disappointing (much changed since I'd seen it last. I missed Chanel etc and was not happy to see globalization in the form of Banana Republic, the Gap etc).
Excellent coffee and croissant at the Cafe of George V. Continued to the Arc de Triumph, turned right on Haussman Boulevard and walked for another 15 minutes to the Musee de JacqueMart-Andre`, my second favorite in Paris. A converted mansion, it is an intimate display of a wealthy family's home and collection of Italian renaissance art. Very good lunch in former dining room--you need to get there a bit before 11:45 restaurant opening to avoid huge line later. Afterwards, strolled through museum, feeling full and rich, then took taxi back to hotel and napped. I woke up early and took a long walk through Luxembourg Gardens again--young men playing tennis, old men playing boules, children playing in the sand and sailing boats in the water, students studying, couples cuddling and best of all, a very old couple sitting together reading aloud to each other. Aging looked fine that day. My camera tells me I bought us ham and cheese sandwiches at Monoprix for dinner. The evening I don't remember, but I think it was peaceful reading in the hotel.
Up to this point in our trip we had had all sunny days (more than in total the last time we were in Paris when there was zero sunshine in 10 days, so the rain you will hear of next did not really dismay us. We were also equipped with a BRIGHT pink ergonomic (wrong word), oddly shaped umbrella we had bought in an umbrella store near the water in Seattle in March. Time to submit and go read Radio Shangri-La (already into fantasy and planning for our next destination)
Excellent coffee and croissant at the Cafe of George V. Continued to the Arc de Triumph, turned right on Haussman Boulevard and walked for another 15 minutes to the Musee de JacqueMart-Andre`, my second favorite in Paris. A converted mansion, it is an intimate display of a wealthy family's home and collection of Italian renaissance art. Very good lunch in former dining room--you need to get there a bit before 11:45 restaurant opening to avoid huge line later. Afterwards, strolled through museum, feeling full and rich, then took taxi back to hotel and napped. I woke up early and took a long walk through Luxembourg Gardens again--young men playing tennis, old men playing boules, children playing in the sand and sailing boats in the water, students studying, couples cuddling and best of all, a very old couple sitting together reading aloud to each other. Aging looked fine that day. My camera tells me I bought us ham and cheese sandwiches at Monoprix for dinner. The evening I don't remember, but I think it was peaceful reading in the hotel.
Up to this point in our trip we had had all sunny days (more than in total the last time we were in Paris when there was zero sunshine in 10 days, so the rain you will hear of next did not really dismay us. We were also equipped with a BRIGHT pink ergonomic (wrong word), oddly shaped umbrella we had bought in an umbrella store near the water in Seattle in March. Time to submit and go read Radio Shangri-La (already into fantasy and planning for our next destination)
Aug 17th, 2014, 05:54 PM
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We are now at Day 5 (I inadvertently wrote day 3 twice)
This was our first day of rain, but it was a magical one. In the morning we walked to the Musee de Rodin, this time saw a truly knockout exhibit comparing Robert Maplethorpe to Rodin, also the pleasure of some elementary school children on a field trip. Today we focused on the inside, just stopping briefly to say hello to some of our favorite pieces in the garden outside.
Walked back to our hotel, rested a bit, then splurged on the most expensive meal we have had ever anywhere, including the French Laundry in Yountville. La Cascade is a beautiful Belle Époque restaurant in the midst of the Bois de Bologne. In part because of the rain, in part because of the recommendation of our friend with impeccable taste, we lunched in the magnificent dining room indoors. The food was outstanding, the service and over all experience the nicest we have had ever anywhere (even including our favorite restaurant on the island of Torcello near Venice. ). There was a little stool for me to put my Magellan travel purse so it didn't hit the floor. the food was delicious and everywhere we looked was another beautiful whimsical object or view to make us smile, including a blue sky and clouds painted on the ceiling. The staff offered excellent but not oppressively formal service, encouraged me with my painfully halting intermediate French. It was a very expensive, we thought once on a lifetime meal, well worth the several dinners of yoghurt that followed. (By the way, we ordered the 5 course prix fixe, the most expensive option. It would have been possible to spend less) If at all possible, we will return the next time we are in Paris.
Four hours later, we returned, stopped at the Musee de Quai-Bromley, where we loved the architecture but only liked the art. In retrospect, perhaps it was too much, but we had the museum pass and....At any rate, we walked off part of our lunch returning to our hotel afterwards. (Our last trip to Paris we used the Metro a lot, this time we walked a lot and used taxis a little). DH slept early, but I could not resist a ticket to an evening of gospel music at Saint-Sulpice. The sound in the church was perfect, the voices were great, but I did not care for the way the music was arranged.
This was our first day of rain, but it was a magical one. In the morning we walked to the Musee de Rodin, this time saw a truly knockout exhibit comparing Robert Maplethorpe to Rodin, also the pleasure of some elementary school children on a field trip. Today we focused on the inside, just stopping briefly to say hello to some of our favorite pieces in the garden outside.
Walked back to our hotel, rested a bit, then splurged on the most expensive meal we have had ever anywhere, including the French Laundry in Yountville. La Cascade is a beautiful Belle Époque restaurant in the midst of the Bois de Bologne. In part because of the rain, in part because of the recommendation of our friend with impeccable taste, we lunched in the magnificent dining room indoors. The food was outstanding, the service and over all experience the nicest we have had ever anywhere (even including our favorite restaurant on the island of Torcello near Venice. ). There was a little stool for me to put my Magellan travel purse so it didn't hit the floor. the food was delicious and everywhere we looked was another beautiful whimsical object or view to make us smile, including a blue sky and clouds painted on the ceiling. The staff offered excellent but not oppressively formal service, encouraged me with my painfully halting intermediate French. It was a very expensive, we thought once on a lifetime meal, well worth the several dinners of yoghurt that followed. (By the way, we ordered the 5 course prix fixe, the most expensive option. It would have been possible to spend less) If at all possible, we will return the next time we are in Paris.
Four hours later, we returned, stopped at the Musee de Quai-Bromley, where we loved the architecture but only liked the art. In retrospect, perhaps it was too much, but we had the museum pass and....At any rate, we walked off part of our lunch returning to our hotel afterwards. (Our last trip to Paris we used the Metro a lot, this time we walked a lot and used taxis a little). DH slept early, but I could not resist a ticket to an evening of gospel music at Saint-Sulpice. The sound in the church was perfect, the voices were great, but I did not care for the way the music was arranged.
Aug 17th, 2014, 06:35 PM
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Enjoying your report! Nicholas Flamel was on our list, but we never made it there. It sounds like it's not that special. La Cascade is going on my "must" list for next trip.
Can you bribe the cats to return the journal? I used to have a cat that "approved" various papers by piercing them with her fangs. Everything from those years show little teeth holes in them. Current cats only want to walk on the keyboard while I am typing. No one conquers a cat!
Can you bribe the cats to return the journal? I used to have a cat that "approved" various papers by piercing them with her fangs. Everything from those years show little teeth holes in them. Current cats only want to walk on the keyboard while I am typing. No one conquers a cat!
Aug 17th, 2014, 08:38 PM
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Thanks.
So true with cats. Giotto's claim to fame is that he jumped on top of refrigerator, opened freezer door, extracted ground lamb, threw it to the floor, and attempted to devour it frozen. His escapades with dry food are such that we have just bought a bear food container from REI. We'll see.
I'm not sure I'd go back to Nicholas Flamel, but we very much enjoyed Le Pistou. Our friend also recommended the Yellow Taxi in the Marais, but we didn't have a chance to try it. Another don't miss is the Place des Voges. There is a five star hotel there that my friend's father loves, but it is out of our price range and we really like being close to the Luxembourg Gardens...
I will try bribery. It is very frustrating to be without journal, especially three months later.
I did write a trip report on navigating Yosemite in high season (actually, it's more like a list of tips) in gratitude for all the help I'm getting with our Bhutan/Nepal trip
So true with cats. Giotto's claim to fame is that he jumped on top of refrigerator, opened freezer door, extracted ground lamb, threw it to the floor, and attempted to devour it frozen. His escapades with dry food are such that we have just bought a bear food container from REI. We'll see.
I'm not sure I'd go back to Nicholas Flamel, but we very much enjoyed Le Pistou. Our friend also recommended the Yellow Taxi in the Marais, but we didn't have a chance to try it. Another don't miss is the Place des Voges. There is a five star hotel there that my friend's father loves, but it is out of our price range and we really like being close to the Luxembourg Gardens...
I will try bribery. It is very frustrating to be without journal, especially three months later.
I did write a trip report on navigating Yosemite in high season (actually, it's more like a list of tips) in gratitude for all the help I'm getting with our Bhutan/Nepal trip
Aug 17th, 2014, 09:53 PM
#12
Thanks for your report. As you've lost your notes I hope you don't mind a small correction. You dined at La Grande Cascade. I also enjoy it very much. Beautiful and relaxing, a decadent place. I have only been in the spring and summer, and both times dined on the gorgeous terrace.
Aug 18th, 2014, 11:10 AM
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Moving on to Day 6
I find myself very much yearning for my abducted journal, but will move ahead nonetheless. After breakfast, husband and I took a long stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens, stopping to sit and relax (it was cloudy but not rainy at that moment. With the weather, I think it helped a LOT that we had three sunny days before the rain started. There is a serious drought in California where we are from, so rain was in some ways a delight (always a relief to have direct evidence that something still exists!) and we did not feel cheated of seeing Paris in sunshine in the spring). We then went on to the famous Cafe de Flore on Saint-Germain-des-Pres, where I had hot chocolate and a marvelous croissant and my husband treated himself to a pain au chocolate. We were inside but by the window. It was nice to watch Paris walk by in the rain and think of all the famous people who had been there before us.
Lunch was at someplace recommended by our hotel, where the food was very good and cost reasonable and the service was beyond terrible. It was the only time we were actively badly treated in our time in Paris. A consolation was that two professors of theology sitting next to us apologized for the (non)server's behavior and offered us the remainder of their liter of (quite drainable)red wine. Strange to say, I do not recall the name of this restaurant.
However, that night we hit the jackpot! I'm not sure if it was penitent Parisian gods, luck, the hour or the rain, but we arrived at the Louvre at about 7 pm and not only was there no line, it was EMPTY! I mean empty. We were almost skipping
. We took advantage of this probably once in a life experience and spent all our time around the most crowded parts of the museum--first the Venus di Milo (maybe 4 people), then the long hall of Italian masterpieces where there were all these incredibly famous paintings with no one around them. I had serious art ecstasy; we must have spent at least an hour there. 10 minutes of that hour, I was in front of the Mona Lisa, which had maybe 20 people gathered around her only. Our evening ended as it was getting dark and the museum was near closing with Michelangelo's two very sexy slaves (we are big fans--of M, not slavery) and not even one person in the hall where they are exhibited. We left with the pyramid lighting up, soft rain, and high on good fortune and beauty.
Also with a knockout black very subtle Mona Lisa t-shirt (small strip going down left side of front), the only t-shirt the Louvre sold. It is so elegant I wear it to work. This evening strategy worked once before for us at the Metropolitan museum in New York over Christmas week. We had gone through the main collection when the museum opened one day, then came back to see a Matisse (?) exhibit Saturday night around 7, and while there were a few people, there was nothing that resembled a crowd.
I find myself very much yearning for my abducted journal, but will move ahead nonetheless. After breakfast, husband and I took a long stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens, stopping to sit and relax (it was cloudy but not rainy at that moment. With the weather, I think it helped a LOT that we had three sunny days before the rain started. There is a serious drought in California where we are from, so rain was in some ways a delight (always a relief to have direct evidence that something still exists!) and we did not feel cheated of seeing Paris in sunshine in the spring). We then went on to the famous Cafe de Flore on Saint-Germain-des-Pres, where I had hot chocolate and a marvelous croissant and my husband treated himself to a pain au chocolate. We were inside but by the window. It was nice to watch Paris walk by in the rain and think of all the famous people who had been there before us.
Lunch was at someplace recommended by our hotel, where the food was very good and cost reasonable and the service was beyond terrible. It was the only time we were actively badly treated in our time in Paris. A consolation was that two professors of theology sitting next to us apologized for the (non)server's behavior and offered us the remainder of their liter of (quite drainable)red wine. Strange to say, I do not recall the name of this restaurant.
However, that night we hit the jackpot! I'm not sure if it was penitent Parisian gods, luck, the hour or the rain, but we arrived at the Louvre at about 7 pm and not only was there no line, it was EMPTY! I mean empty. We were almost skipping
. We took advantage of this probably once in a life experience and spent all our time around the most crowded parts of the museum--first the Venus di Milo (maybe 4 people), then the long hall of Italian masterpieces where there were all these incredibly famous paintings with no one around them. I had serious art ecstasy; we must have spent at least an hour there. 10 minutes of that hour, I was in front of the Mona Lisa, which had maybe 20 people gathered around her only. Our evening ended as it was getting dark and the museum was near closing with Michelangelo's two very sexy slaves (we are big fans--of M, not slavery) and not even one person in the hall where they are exhibited. We left with the pyramid lighting up, soft rain, and high on good fortune and beauty.Also with a knockout black very subtle Mona Lisa t-shirt (small strip going down left side of front), the only t-shirt the Louvre sold. It is so elegant I wear it to work. This evening strategy worked once before for us at the Metropolitan museum in New York over Christmas week. We had gone through the main collection when the museum opened one day, then came back to see a Matisse (?) exhibit Saturday night around 7, and while there were a few people, there was nothing that resembled a crowd.
Aug 18th, 2014, 06:05 PM
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Day 7
Almost every vacation has a day that doesn't work--this was the day for us. Let me tell you what we did, then I'll try to think of how I would now do it differently. Quite early in the morning, we left for Versailles (where neither of us had ever been). When we got there we signed up for a group tour through a private part of the palace. This part was OK. The group was small( I had learned in Japan that if you are part of a group you can see something alone for a few minutes by being the last one), the guide OK. It was somewhat interesting but I was not really touched. I did like the elegant pre-running water toilet covered in mahogany quite a lot. Then--the disaster. The 2 hour group tour ended at noon and we were unleashed into a crowd much like that of the Sistine Chapel at the same time of day. There was no way out but to go through it, so my very adept Italian husband maneuvered his somewhat claustrophobic wife through 10-11 rooms as quickly as possible. We saw nothing but the hordes around us. We then retired to the most expensive restaurant we could find, revived ourselves with a nice lunch and went outside to see the gardens a bit (though by that time we were fried).
Went back to the hotel, collapsed for three hours, ate I don't remember what, then went on to the Musee d'Orsay around 6:30. The previous night's miracle did not repeat itself, though I bet the museum was MUCH more crowded earlier in the day. The art was wonderful, but we were tired. We particularly enjoyed the huge clocks, the views from the windows, and I was able to find a Toulouse-Latrec I had first seen when the museum was the intimate Jeu de Pomme in March of 1972. There is a painting of an old couple in bed, talking away the night together I imagined , that I had liked very much. I found it again and had something of a shock. This "old" couple was not so old at all--dark hair, maybe early to mid forties. What was my view of aging at 22?
Looking back over this day, I think we made a number of mistakes. 1)It was foolish to try to fit in two big things that take active crowd management in one day, even with a long lunch and a break for several hours napping in the hotel room. 2) We should have eaten an early dinner in the Orsay (I wouldn't change going in the evening) at maybe 6:30, freeing us around 7:15. We should have left the most popular floor until last and stayed until the museum closed. With the Orsay in the evening, we should have spent the morning walking through a neighborhood, followed by a delicious three course lunch. That's what we will try next time.
And with Versailles--I'm not sure we will go back, though I don't regret going. I'm not sure that opulent European palaces are my thing. If we do, we will go after lunch, walk first through the gardens and then through the palace itself. Alternatively, we could take advantage of arriving when it opens, go immediately to the most popular parts of the palace, take a later group tour (or skip it), lunch, and walk through the gardens.
It may by now have become apparent that although I love cities, I do not like crowds and expend considerable energy, usually with equally considerable success, avoiding them. It's a challenge I take on. This includes going to Florence only in winter, going to San Marco (both the church and the piazza) Sunday morning for mass, going to the Vatican late in the day. We break our rule of not going to Yosemite Valley in high season for foreign houseguests (see my recent trip report, which is actually more a list of tips. I hesitated to publish it, but am in current karma debt to this forum for its help in planning our 2008 trip to Japan and, hopefully, next year's journey to the Himalayas.
Almost every vacation has a day that doesn't work--this was the day for us. Let me tell you what we did, then I'll try to think of how I would now do it differently. Quite early in the morning, we left for Versailles (where neither of us had ever been). When we got there we signed up for a group tour through a private part of the palace. This part was OK. The group was small( I had learned in Japan that if you are part of a group you can see something alone for a few minutes by being the last one), the guide OK. It was somewhat interesting but I was not really touched. I did like the elegant pre-running water toilet covered in mahogany quite a lot. Then--the disaster. The 2 hour group tour ended at noon and we were unleashed into a crowd much like that of the Sistine Chapel at the same time of day. There was no way out but to go through it, so my very adept Italian husband maneuvered his somewhat claustrophobic wife through 10-11 rooms as quickly as possible. We saw nothing but the hordes around us. We then retired to the most expensive restaurant we could find, revived ourselves with a nice lunch and went outside to see the gardens a bit (though by that time we were fried).
Went back to the hotel, collapsed for three hours, ate I don't remember what, then went on to the Musee d'Orsay around 6:30. The previous night's miracle did not repeat itself, though I bet the museum was MUCH more crowded earlier in the day. The art was wonderful, but we were tired. We particularly enjoyed the huge clocks, the views from the windows, and I was able to find a Toulouse-Latrec I had first seen when the museum was the intimate Jeu de Pomme in March of 1972. There is a painting of an old couple in bed, talking away the night together I imagined , that I had liked very much. I found it again and had something of a shock. This "old" couple was not so old at all--dark hair, maybe early to mid forties. What was my view of aging at 22?
Looking back over this day, I think we made a number of mistakes. 1)It was foolish to try to fit in two big things that take active crowd management in one day, even with a long lunch and a break for several hours napping in the hotel room. 2) We should have eaten an early dinner in the Orsay (I wouldn't change going in the evening) at maybe 6:30, freeing us around 7:15. We should have left the most popular floor until last and stayed until the museum closed. With the Orsay in the evening, we should have spent the morning walking through a neighborhood, followed by a delicious three course lunch. That's what we will try next time.
And with Versailles--I'm not sure we will go back, though I don't regret going. I'm not sure that opulent European palaces are my thing. If we do, we will go after lunch, walk first through the gardens and then through the palace itself. Alternatively, we could take advantage of arriving when it opens, go immediately to the most popular parts of the palace, take a later group tour (or skip it), lunch, and walk through the gardens.
It may by now have become apparent that although I love cities, I do not like crowds and expend considerable energy, usually with equally considerable success, avoiding them. It's a challenge I take on. This includes going to Florence only in winter, going to San Marco (both the church and the piazza) Sunday morning for mass, going to the Vatican late in the day. We break our rule of not going to Yosemite Valley in high season for foreign houseguests (see my recent trip report, which is actually more a list of tips. I hesitated to publish it, but am in current karma debt to this forum for its help in planning our 2008 trip to Japan and, hopefully, next year's journey to the Himalayas.
Aug 19th, 2014, 01:42 PM
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Day 8
This was our last day in Paris before flying to Genoa. We may have walked to Bon Marche` in the morning and not been able to find anything bon marche` enough (this definitely happened one morning in our stay), then stopped at the Cafe des Flores for an early lunch, rested for an hour at the hotel and set for for the Jardin des Plantes by way of yes, the Luxembourg gardens. It was a long and somewhat tiring walk with a frustrating end. We were in search of the early 20th century merry-go-round with hand painted wooden animals that I had so loved when I had been in Paris with my friend Jane in 2003. I wanted to show them to my husband. Unfortunately, they weren't where I thought they were. I went through several bouts of French/pantomine with park workers trying to explain "merry-go-round" (not in my French vocabulary). When we finally found them, they were completely covered up with plastic (not see through) to protect them from the rain! Bummer. But still, it's always good to have something for next time....and I highly recommend them to people with and without children. They are beautiful.
The day was saved by the evening. First of all, there were not one but two rainbows on the way to dinner. Second, dinner itself may be been the best meal I have had ever. It was at a "new" French restaurant named Spring, again recommended by our friend who lives in the Marais.
Quite simply, the best dinner remember anywhere,Chez Panisse and French Laundry included. Food was light, both simple and complex, interestingly chosen and utterly delicious. The
service was good, the young sommelier was charming and competent, but our one complaint is that the course moved along too quickly. we had a 6:30 reservation, expect they had another seating at 8:30, understand but nonetheless think that such a meal deserves at least a half hour linger to savor. And in France and Italy, we don't expect to be moved along briskly.
I should note that both and the Grande Cascade and at Spring, we had reserved a couple of months in advance.
The next morning we reluctantly said good-bye to the Hotel Bonaparte, left on a morning flight to Genoa...but there is one more postscript to this report. To come later...
This was our last day in Paris before flying to Genoa. We may have walked to Bon Marche` in the morning and not been able to find anything bon marche` enough (this definitely happened one morning in our stay), then stopped at the Cafe des Flores for an early lunch, rested for an hour at the hotel and set for for the Jardin des Plantes by way of yes, the Luxembourg gardens. It was a long and somewhat tiring walk with a frustrating end. We were in search of the early 20th century merry-go-round with hand painted wooden animals that I had so loved when I had been in Paris with my friend Jane in 2003. I wanted to show them to my husband. Unfortunately, they weren't where I thought they were. I went through several bouts of French/pantomine with park workers trying to explain "merry-go-round" (not in my French vocabulary). When we finally found them, they were completely covered up with plastic (not see through) to protect them from the rain! Bummer. But still, it's always good to have something for next time....and I highly recommend them to people with and without children. They are beautiful.
The day was saved by the evening. First of all, there were not one but two rainbows on the way to dinner. Second, dinner itself may be been the best meal I have had ever. It was at a "new" French restaurant named Spring, again recommended by our friend who lives in the Marais.
Quite simply, the best dinner remember anywhere,Chez Panisse and French Laundry included. Food was light, both simple and complex, interestingly chosen and utterly delicious. The
service was good, the young sommelier was charming and competent, but our one complaint is that the course moved along too quickly. we had a 6:30 reservation, expect they had another seating at 8:30, understand but nonetheless think that such a meal deserves at least a half hour linger to savor. And in France and Italy, we don't expect to be moved along briskly.
I should note that both and the Grande Cascade and at Spring, we had reserved a couple of months in advance.
The next morning we reluctantly said good-bye to the Hotel Bonaparte, left on a morning flight to Genoa...but there is one more postscript to this report. To come later...
